A man was fined £330 after admitting dumping 18 bags of rubble and building detritus illegally.

Patrick Barrett, of Cleves Crescent, New Addington, pleaded guilty on Monday at Croydon Magistrates’ Court to two counts of dumping waste without an environmental permit.

The 52-year-old left the bags in a communal bin in his block of flats between August and September last year.

The prosecution continues the council’s Don’t Mess with Croydon campaign, targeting fly-tipping in the borough.

Councillor Stuart Collins, the council’s deputy leader and cabinet member for Clean and Green Croydon, said: “Illegally dumping this waste has landed Mr Barrett with a fine costing hundreds of pounds and a conviction – he could’ve got the council to clear it for as little as £60.”